Product description

What drives so many to leave everything behind and journey alone to a mysterious country, a place without family or friends, where everything is nameless and the future is unknown. This silent graphic novel is the story of every migrant, every refugee, every displaced person, and a tribute to all those who have made the journey.

Author information

Shaun Tan is the author and illustrator of The Lost Thing and The Red Tree, both of which have won international awards such as the Honourable Mention in the BolognaRagazzi Prices, were CBCA Honour Books and have been widely translated. Previous books Shaun has illustrated include The Rabbits by John Marsden (CBCA Picture Book of the Year) and with Gary Crew, Memorial (A CBCA Honour Book) and The Viewer (winner of the Crichton Award for illustration). In 2001 Shaun received the 'World Fantasy Best Artist Award' for his body of work. Shaun is the winner of the 2011 Astrid Lindgren prize, the world's richest children's literature award. The award described Shaun as 'a masterly visually storyteller'.

Review quote

All ages respond to this moving picture book, a moving tribute to displaced people. (The Sunday Times' 100 Best Children's Books) The Sunday Times ...a remarkable and skilful work of art. Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times This book should be 'read' by adults and children alike. It's astonishing. Marilyn Brocklehurst, Norfolk Children's Book Centre With this haunting, wordless sequence about a lonely emigrant in a bewildering city, Tan ... finds in the graphic novel format an ideal outlet for his sublime imagination... few will remain unaffected by this timeless stunner. Publishers Weekly Filled with both subtlety and grandeur, the book is a unique work that not only fulfills but also expands the potential of its form. Booklist ...an unashamed paean to the immigrant's spirit, tenacity and guts, perfectly crafted for maximum effect. Kirkus Reviews Tan's lovingly laid out and masterfully rendered tale about the immigrant experience is a documentary magically told by way of Surrealism. Art Spiegelman, author of Maus: A Survivor's Tale The Arrival is an absolute wonder. It's not often you see art of this quality, or a book that's so brave. Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis and Embroideries Shaun Tan delivers a shockingly imaginative graphic novel that captures the sense of adventure and wonder that surrounds a new arrival on the shores of a shining new city... The Arrival is one of the best graphic novels of the year! Jeff Smith, author of Bone Entirely wordless, but brimming with sounds and conversations in foreign tongues, Shaun Tan's book emanates the warmth of faded photographs... Craig Thompson, author of Blankets The Arrival is beautiful... The drawings are just so lovely, endlessly detailed and wonderfully strange. And the design of the book, with it's wrinkled pages and stains and broken leather is marvellous. Brian Selznick, author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret Anyone who thinks that the graphic novel is no more than a flash-in-the-pan phenomenon, ought to take a look at "The Arrival." This magnificent work not only establishes itself in a major new literary genre but raises the stakes for anyone seriously considering working in it. David Small, Caldecott Medalist for So You Want To Be President? Shaun Tan's artwork creates a fantastical, hauntingly familiar atmosphere. A strange, moving, and beautiful story. Jon J Muth, author of Zen Shorts and illustrator of Sandman Shaun Tan's The Arrival may be the most brilliant book of the year' School Library journal This book should be 'read' by adults and children alike. It's astonishing. Bookseller It will fascinate and occupy adults and children alike The Observer A powerful, at times harrowing read, Tan's creation is a major achievement. Books for Keeps The reader's experience, as he or she tries to make sense of the unfamiliar scenes and strange images, parallels that of the emigrant, striving to understand without the aid of language. This extraordinarily accomplished pieces of storytelling can be read and understood on many different levels. The Guardian The surreal, sepia illustrations in th is remarkable book invite repeated study. Strangely beautiful and frightening, you can spend hours searching for hidden meanings and extra stories. Carousel A true marvel on any bookshelf, a unique piece of at and a beautifully told story. School Librarian 'a brilliant wordless story of a migrant arriving in a strange, indecipherable city.' Anthony Browne, The Telegraph Sited as No 35 in The Times 100 Best Books of all time. "An imaginative triumph. Every home should have one." The Times 'Tan delineates the strange, sad experience of immigration in stunning, sepia-toned, exquisitely detailed, wordless panels. An imaginative triumph. Every home should have one.' The Times 100 Best Books of the Decade -at 35 Stunning illustrations... poignant and atmospheric. Observer A wordless work of art. Sunday Express (Cressida Cowell)